Rumblings: Thompson to Ann Arbor

Jim Thompson

Jacksonville starter Jim Thompson and left-fielder Héctor Ramírez look to be on the move. Management leaked this news on Twitter yesterday but did not specify the other team involved. The Dugout has learned that the pair will be headed to Ann Arbor. The return package is unknown, but we will update you as we learn more details.

Jim Thompson, 31, is 5-8 with a 3.91 ERA. He has struck out 96 while walking 38 and has been vocally unhappy with the poor performance of the Jacks. Ramírez, 29, is batting an even .300 with 13 home runs.

UPDATE: The Dugout has confirmed that Ann Arbor is the second team involved. They will be sending back Corbin Butler plus three prospects. Butler, 30, is batting .295 with 14 home runs this year. Franck Bourgoin is a teenage starter currently pitching for Single-A Dearborn: he is 6-9 with a 2.87 ERA. Christopher Green, 24, is a reliever pitching in Triple-A St. John: he has 31 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings but a 5.85 ERA. Eduardo Gamboa, 19, has split time between relieving and starting in Double-A Grand Haven: he has a 3.14 ERA over 100 1/3 innings. Baseball America rates Green and Bourgoin as, respectively, the seventh and ninth best prospects in Ann Arbor's organization.

The key to the swapping of outielders would seem to be salary: Butler and Ramírez are similar in ability, but Ramírez makes $2.6 million contrasted to Butler's $10.5 million. The nearly $10 million in savings almost balances out Thompson's $11 million salary.